Britain’s new Labour government announced its legislative priorities today, following its landslide victory in the July 4 election. At the official opening of Parliament, King Charles III read a speech outlining the legislation that Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government will seek to pass over the coming months and years.
There were few surprises in the King’s Speech: Most of the major pieces of legislation announced had featured prominently in Labour’s manifesto and election campaign: planning reform, transport infrastructure improvements and reform of Parliament’s upper house, the House of Lords, all featured prominently in the speech.
The speech and accompanying briefing documents also outlined several bills aimed at tackling the climate crisis. Environmental Bill It was just announced.
Great British Energy
The Labour Party’s plan to create a publicly owned clean electricity company was a major focus of the party’s election campaign. It was one of Labour’s six “Steps to changeThis is the “climate change pledge” put to voters ahead of the election and is Labour’s only flagship pledge that directly deals with the climate crisis.
The bill would create a taxpayer-owned company, Great British Energy, to “develop, own and operate assets” by partnering and investing in the private sector. The company would be backed by 8.3 billion pounds ($10.8 billion) and headquartered in Scotland, which produces most of the UK’s renewable electricity.
The Labour Party has already moved quickly to promote renewable energy in the UK. Onshore Wind Farm Within days of coming to power, the government announced “Mission Control” for achieving clean energy by 2030, led by Chris Stark, previously the UK government’s most senior climate adviser.
The plan is also couched in terms of UK energy security: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused gas prices to rise across Europe, highlighting Britain’s dependency on this fossil fuel. By increasing investment in the production, transmission and storage of clean electricity through Great British Energy, Labour hopes to reduce reliance on gas, clean up the UK’s energy mix and improve energy security.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel
Aviation accounts for a small but growing share of UK greenhouse gas emissions – in 2019, civil aviation accounted for 8% of UK emissions – but the sector is generally seen as one of the hardest to tackle, with electric planes still a distant prospect.
Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) are produced from alternatives to fossil fuels, such as agricultural crops and waste oil. These SAFs are attractive to airlines because they can be blended with regular jet fuel without requiring significant (and costly) modifications to planes.
The proposed bill would require fuel suppliers to blend at least 10% SAF and provide support to companies and investors looking to expand SAF production in the UK. Their ManifestoHowever, the advantage of SAF is In disputeIncreasing demand for air travel means rising emissions from this sector.
Crown Estate
The King, through the Crown Estate, is the major landowner in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Its holdings include much of the UK’s seabed, and it also has the rights to grant permission to build offshore wind farms, lay pipelines and store carbon on the seabed. In recent years, this marine portfolio has become the most profitable part of the Crown Estate’s holdings.
Labour wants to modernise the Crown Estate by giving it powers to borrow money from the Treasury, freeing up cash reserves to invest in renewable energy projects in particular. It also wants to extend the Estate’s investment powers to support other aspects of green infrastructure, such as digital technology for wind farms and port infrastructure.
